bassace

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1330434793' post='1557362'] Try 'Blues and the Abstract Truth' by Oliver Nelson [/quote] Plus one! This head/choruses/head thing is nothing new, of course. It informed most of the modern jazz - incl bebop, and even Kind of Blue is very much h/ch/h. I very much applaud those who are doing their best to break out of that particular mould. But that is very 'project' based and requires quite a fair amount of rehearsal. So there can be a danger that spontaneity is lost. One of the bands I play in is a five piece but it's still reading all the way from charts that come from the leader who spends an amazing amount of time arranging. Great fun, but equally, it's great to do a pickup gig with some good musicians and do the h/ch/h thing and get a great kick out of it.

Anyone sen this before? Bit of cheesiness in places but well worth a look. He must have been born with rhythm in his blood. http://www.wimp.com/oldschool/

It's worse for a double bass player. I remember one December gig on a stage that at the best of times was cramped; when we turned up they had a bloody Christmas tree on stage, all lit up. And we were a seven piece. At another place an old dear would come in mid week a play her grand piano for the old folk. Trouble is it was right in the middle of the stage and a whole lot of jobsworths told us we couldn't move it. So we played on the floor. Stables at Wavendon, that's the very best place to be.

[color=#000000]Bass player available for PAYING GIGS ONLY. I play G, C, D. If your songs are not in G, please transpose them into G. If your song has an Em or Bm or anything off the wall I will probably sit out that chord. Or I could learn those notes for £30 each. If you want me to do fancy stuff like go back and forth between G and D while you hold a G chord, forget it because I'm a "pocket" player. Minimum £100 per gig within a 5 mile radius of Chipping Norton. £5 per mile travel charge for other areas out of town. Please make sure your gigs are on a bus route, or you can pick me up at my place. Since I use the bus, it is impractical for me to bring my amp, so you must provide a suitable amp for me to use, preferably an Ampeg SVT. If you pick me up, I can bring my amp, but since it's only 30 watts, everyone will need to play at a lower volume so as not to bury me in the mix. Must be home by 11pm due to previous legal hassles. No gigs within 500 yards of schools, parks, or playgrounds.[/color]

I'm very happy with my 12" Wizzy (not M line I regret). When I need some extra oomph I put a 10" Wizzy on top. This not only gives some nice sharp mids it also makes the 12" more bottomy. Not sure why but it certainly works well. Both with a Clarus.

And me. I just like that robust style of bass playing. It's what a bass should do within the band/group.

I've just picked up this great piece by Ray Brown. Just look what he's done to the table (top) just under the E string! Hope the link works. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg5YU3HB7JA&feature=related

A hard case is good for flying your bass abroad - I've done it. Or for loading your bass into a van that's handled by roadies - I've done that too. Any other use it's a complete PITA. It's hernia-inducingly heavy, too long for your estate car or whatever and a bit of a waste of time.

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1329909637' post='1549372'] Drop a PM to Gareth Hughes would be my advice. He has one on his Eminence I believe. I think bassace has one too [/quote] I had one but forget who I sold it to. I wasn't too impressed but I was trying a lot of pickups back then and might not have given it an honest workout. Not a lot of help really!

Keith, what are you like! Eek, a full half inch off? I might well ask what Thomann are like.

[quote name='chaypup' timestamp='1329728380' post='1546318'] I saw this - BBC4 has been great this weekend! [/quote] plus 1

[quote name='BassInMyFace' timestamp='1329483048' post='1543103'] Interesting. This seems a natural approach to the problem. Wish there was another way though because the thud of the hit on the adjacent string sounds and feels great. Perhaps a raised lip at right angles to fingerboard to allow fingers to smack against?? I might mock up a removable one to see how feasible it would be. Probably nonsense but worth a try. [/quote] Like an outrigger? That's often occurred to me but I've never tried it yet. My basses are characterised by small scratches on the top of the body just off the fingerboard where sometimes my thumbnail lands after the e is plucked.

I play in three bands and fortunately I'm replaceable in all of them because we, including the deps, are professionals. 'Fortunately' because there are sometimes diary clashes within the three bands and sometimes a family commitment intrudes - and sometimes I break my arm, as just gone by. We manage but we have this A-Team thing: however good the dep, the band never sounds as good as when all the regulars are together which, fortunately, is most of the time.

Yes, pre-eq all the time if poss. Many amps are pre-eq and several even have a pre/post switch on their DI out. The EA iAmp even has a DI gain control which makes it so easy to get a good instant PA fix.

And I bet,in perfecting your reading you're getting a better feel for the theory of the music that you play.

I don't mind Cantaloup Island at all, although I agree with Bilbo's other dislikes (hates).

[quote name='TPJ' timestamp='1328867436' post='1533844'] I don't know if anyone else does this, but when we put the DB in the PA, we cut the low bass out, roll off anywhere from 80-180hz and below. This cleans up the DB tone to no end and keeps those headroom eaters at bay. You'd be surprised how much "bass" is still there but it's tamed. [/quote] Spot on; this is how I ask the engineer to do my sound when I'm lucky enough to get a PA feed. You want to get a nice clean middle out to the audience and the bottoms will look after themselves. I also ask for no DB on the monitors, seems to keep the front line happy. I also use a small backline most of the time.

As they say on the other side of the pond, a condensor mic is not a cheap date. It needs a good preamp with a notch filter to limit the terrible feedback that you'll get if you use your own back line and to get all the nuances that a mic will pick up a nice powered speaker on a pole will do it. Then it helps to have a piezo feeding in just to give a bit of bite. It can be done and I've had amazing results - but all that kit and all those wires. I'm with Jake, use a piezo and enjoy the gig. Only exception is if there is a good front of house with a helpful engineer, but still monitor with the piezo.

OBBM

I slip my little finger in between the fingerboard and the G string. If it is a tightish fit it's about right. Not precise, I know, but it's served me well over the years.

Keep within your comfort zone for this one, don't be flashy but be good and solid. Keep your ears open. That's what the others will like. Enjoy, you'll never forget your first gig on DB.